In a manufacturing facility, the availability of electrical power through a utility box on the plant floor is essential. The electrical power outlets must be readily available at various locations in the plant such that any auxiliary equipment, cleaning equipment or other processing equipment can be plugged in. The electrical utility boxes are normally mounted either on support columns or in the floor. The floor mounted utility boxes are more commonly used since they are independent from the support column locations and therefore can be mounted anywhere desired. The availability of utility boxes is especially important in semiconductor fabrication facilities such that electricity can be readily supplied to auxiliary equipment that are frequently necessary in the fabrication of semiconductor chips.
A conventional floor mounted utility box is constructed of a body and a cover. In the body of the utility box, a cavity is provided which houses an electrical socket adapted for receiving electrical plugs. The body is mounted in a recess provided in the floor such that the body does not protrude above the floor level. A typical conventional floor mounted utility box is shown in FIG. 1A in a perspective view. The floor mounted utility box 10 consists of a body 12 and a cover 14. The cover 14 is designed such that access holes 16 are provided under the cover 14 to provide room for the wiring. In the conventional utility box 10, the cover 14 has a curved top wherein a high point 20 in the curved top provides wiring access holes 16.
FIG. 1B shows a top view of the body 12 of the conventional utility box 10. In the body 12, a slot opening 24 is provided at the tip of the body such that a cover may be latched thereinto. The body 12 has a cavity 26 which is formed vertically with the top surface 28 of the body 12. The cavity 26 has a dimension of approximately 4 inches wide, 3 inches long and 11/2 inches deep. On the sidewall 30 of the cavity 26, an electrical socket 32 is provided which is adapted to receive at least two electrical plugs. Fastening means such as screws 34 are provided for fastening the top cover 28 to the body 12. Access holes 16 are also provided to allow the wiring to go through when electrical plugs (not shown) are plugged into the socket 32.
FIG. 1C shows a side view of the conventional floor mounted utility box 10 wherein the curved cover 14 is shown with a hump 20 over the access hole 16. The cover 14 is mounted to the body 12 by a latch 38 which is latched into the slot opening 24 provided in the body 12. At the opposite end of the cover 14, and on top of the hump 20, a mounting hole 22 is provided for a bolt 40 to go through and fasten to the body 12. FIG. 1D is a top view of the conventional floor mounted utility box 10 showing the top cover 14 mounted on the body 12 with bolt 40.
The conventional floor mounted utility box 10 shown in FIGS. 1A-1D has several drawbacks and disadvantages for its practical use in a fabrication facility. First, the curved top with the hump portion presents a serious tripping problem in a fabrication plant. Plant personnel when walking over the cover may be tripped by the curved cover and thus causing injuries in a trip and fall situation. The humped portion on the curve cover may further cause problems to vehicles when a wheel of the vehicle goes over the hump resulting in an unbalanced state. When installing the cover, the curved cover 14 must first be carefully latched into the body 12 at one end and then at the other end, a bolt must be used to fasten the cover to the body. This is a tedious process and as a result, the cover is frequently not replaced on top of the utility box by the plant personnel and thus leaving the utility box open. An open top utility box can cause more serious problems such as personnel tripping over it and utility vehicles tipping over by hitting the cavity in the utility box and thus be unbalanced.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a floor mounted utility box that does not have the drawbacks and shortcomings of the conventional floor mounted utility boxes.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a floor mounted utility box that can be mounted in a floor and be completely flush with the floor surface.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a floor mounted utility box that has a cover which is completely flushed with the floor level when mounted to the box.
It is another further object of the present invention to provide a floor mounted utility box which has a cover that can be easily mounted to the box without fastening means.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a floor mounted utility box which has a cover that is flush with the floor level when mounted and is supported by support legs capable of withstanding at least 100 kilogram load.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a floor mounted utility box which has a cover that can be easily mounted to the box by a simple drop-in operation.
It is yet another further object of the present invention to provide a floor mounted utility box that can be easily maintained.
It is still another further object of the present invention to provide a floor mounted utility box which uses a cover that can be easily replaced inexpensively.